


Christopher & Elizabeth

by fortunehasgivenup



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Anal Sex, Attempted Seduction, Crime, Dirty Talk, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Future Fic, Insecurity, Lingerie, Married Couple, Partners in Crime, Semi-Public Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:20:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23875333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortunehasgivenup/pseuds/fortunehasgivenup
Summary: Ever since getting married, Beth and Rio have settled into their double life. To their neighours in the wealthy area that they've moved to, they're Christopher and Elizabeth, who host soirées and play tennis at the country club. To most of the criminals in Detroit, they're the last people that you want to mess with. But to each other, they're still just Beth and Rio.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 57
Kudos: 305





	Christopher & Elizabeth

**Author's Note:**

> There's discussion of threesomes and argument over the third person would be a man or a woman.

“Really, Rio?” Beth stares at the floral centrepiece. “It’s hideous.”

“I know,” he says, absolutely delighted. “I’m hoping for an incandescent from Renée.”

Beth winces. She’s surprised that a florist was even willing to put this together. Everything about it is…wrong. The colour combinations, the proportions. Just looking at it gives her a headache.

“Do you have to bait the neighbours like this?” she asks, not for the first time.

She knows he’s going to say yes. And even she can admit that some of his experiments have been amusing. Like the time he bought boxed wine and decanted it into some unlabelled bottles, claiming he’d had it imported from Italy.

It hadn’t even been _good_ boxed wine. He’d bought the cheapest one. As the evening had gone on, he had grown more and more smug with every compliment from their neighbours. He had nearly cried from laughing so hard when they all left.

But this?

This was going to be on display. In her house.

“No,” she says. “There’s no way in hell we’re putting this out.”

“Come on, mama,” Rio plasters himself against her back. “Don’t you want to know what Janine thinks?”

Janine had called Beth’s garden quaint last week. Quaint! All because Beth did her own gardening.

“Fine,” she gives in.

He nuzzles the back of her neck. “Missed you today.”

Beth smiles and stops trying to adjust the flowers in order to reach back and put her hand on his cheek. “Missed you too.”

“Should have come with me,” he pouts. “Sven likes you more. He probably would have knocked ten gees off the price he gave me.”

“Poor Rio.” She scratched his scalp. “Everything went okay though?”

He nods, chin digging into her shoulder, hands coming to meet at the buttons of her dress.

“Nope,” she smacks them away. “I still have to finish the appetizers.”

Rio groans. “No you don’t.”

“Yes,” Beth says, “I do.”

She can practically see his pout and his hands don’t give up, sliding between two buttons to trace the lace of her bra.

“Rio,” she warns him.

“That’s my name,” he replies. “Don’t wear it out.”

Beth snorts. He loves it when she says his name. Practically demands it.

“Hands off,” she tells him, “or you won’t get anything tonight.”

“Sweetheart, we know that’s an empty threat.” He drops his hands to her hips and grips them tightly. “Don’t make me laugh.”

She turns her head over her shoulder to glare at him. “Out.”

He ducks his head to kiss her. “Fine. But I better get a reward later,” he says, “for being good.”

Beth rolls her eyes. “Rio, you’re never good.”

“That’s not what you said this morning,” he reminds her on his way out of the kitchen. “I think you called me amazing in between the “oh god”s.”

“Out!”

He stays away for long enough for Beth to finish prepping the appetizers, but then he drags her into the shower, insisting that he wants to help her clean up.

Instead, they make use of the shower bench that he’d insisted on (just for this reason) and Beth is running behind as she scrambles to throw together the last few things, scowling at Rio as she does. He just grins at her, relaxed from his orgasm and looking forward to toying with the neighbours.

It’s annoying how handsome he is sometimes.

Still, it’s nice having him by her side as people start to arrive and fill up the house.

“Elizabeth!” Janine leans in to kiss Beth’s cheeks.

Despite Beth’s initial attempts to convince people she was Beth, here they were known as Christopher and Elizabeth. “We sound bougie as fuck,” Rio had said when she complained. “Like we have legacy memberships at the country club.”

“Hi Janine,” Beth says, letting the other woman do the awkward double kiss that she insists on. Beth’s pretty sure she does it so that it doesn’t look odd when she clings to men that are very much not her husband as she greets them.

Like clockwork, Janine nearly latches onto Rio’s shirt. Rio, however, has spent decades at this point avoiding unwanted attention. He slides away like he hasn’t even noticed her, pulling Beth back against his chest.

Janine takes it in stride, sliding into the house to join the others. She and her husband, Geoff, trailing behind her, are the last to arrive.

Like he can feel Beth’s frustration with the woman and her insistence on dramatic entrances, Rio sets his hand on her back and leans down to whisper, “Love you.”

Beth takes his hand, and they drift to the living room.

At first, neither of them had really liked the idea of attending these things, let alone holding them, until Beth had realized the amount of wheeling and dealing that went on. She’s seen men making million dollar deals over cocktails and sharing insider tips after a couple too many.

“Makes us look downright respectable,” Rio had commented after the first time that had happened.

So despite themselves, they’ve been drawn into the biweekly events. To no one’s surprise, most of the women and quite a few of the men are very into Rio. He usually brushes it off or just slides up to her, wrapping himself around her, making people aww at how sweet they are.

“Newlyweds,” some of them will say, as though what they’re really saying is, “Just wait a couple years.”

The parties always start with people not so subtly updating everyone on their kids and any new purchases. Beth normally tunes this out. Rio likes manipulating it into a game of one up man ship that he’s not even part of. Jeremy has a new boat? Oh, did he hear about Frank’s new yacht?

When Beth had told Annie about this, her sister had laughed and called Rio something along the lines of “a master of chaos”. She hadn’t been wrong.

Beth’s just glad that they never last longer than a couple of hours.

“Hi Lloyd,” Beth greets Marie’s husband when he steps into the kitchen about an hour in. “How was Tracey’s first year?”

Lloyd smiles. “Oh you know, everything’s fine. School was fine. Her dorm was fine. Although if I mention parties, she clamps right up.”

Beth nods. “It’s the same with my nephew.”

“Can I lend a hand?” Lloyd steps closer and reaches out to hold the box of Saran Wrap in place.

“I think I’ve got it,” Beth assures him. “This is the last plate I want to cover.”

“You and Christopher always have the best spreads,” Lloyd rips the Saran when Beth nods. “He’s a lucky man.”

Beth has trouble with that kind of statement, especially in this neighbourhood. Ever since they’d moved in, it had been obvious that some of the neighbours had very specific ideas about the nature of their relationship.

At first, the assumption had been that the money was hers and that Rio was, for lack of a better word, her boy toy. A second, younger husband. Over time, it had shifted as it became clear that Beth was uncomfortable with luxury while Rio accepted it as his due. Then, she was the kept woman. Never mind that she ran half a criminal enterprise alongside her husband. No, she was a lady of leisure.

“We’re both lucky,” Beth says pointedly.

Lloyd chuckles as Beth busies herself stacking things in the sink. She knows that some of the others hire people to do this, clean up after them, but it just seems so wasteful. She’s just plugged the sink and turned on the water so that things can soak when a body steps into her space.

It’s immediately clear that it’s the wrong one. She knows when it’s Rio, even when he comes home without making a noise and wraps himself around her from behind. This is not Rio.

A hand settles on her waist. “It’s obvious he’s not giving you what you need.”

Beth stiffens.

“I would be happy to give you all the attention, rather than standing out there trying to seduce everything in sight.”

Beth elbows him as she turns and slides away.

“I think you should go,” she says as forcefully as she can. “And if I were you, I’d spend less time thinking about my marriage and more time thinking about your own.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lloyd’s soft tone disappears.

Beth lifts her chin. “My husband isn’t trying to seduce your wife, Lloyd. Now get out of my kitchen.”

He leaves, much to her relief. The last thing she needed was Rio coming in during that confrontation.

She waits a few minutes before heading back to the others only to find that Renée is in fact delighted by the centrepieces that Rio chose.

“You have such an eye,” the other woman is telling Rio, reaching out to touch his arm, only for Beth to bump into it. “Oh, sorry Elizabeth. I was just telling Christopher that he has such an eye for these things.”

Beth steps into the circle of Rio’s arm and accepts his mostly full glass of bourbon to take a sip. “Sometimes I doubt him,” she says sweetly, “but he always seems to get it right in the end.”

Renée chuckles.

Finally, the neighbours disappear, going back to their own homes or out for more drinks. Beth isn’t sorry to see them go, especially when she sees that Lloyd and Marie had stayed until the end. He shoots Rio a glare, nodding to Beth on his way out of the house.

It bothers her more than it should as she retreats to the kitchen to tidy up. Rio keeps insisting that they can hire people to do this, but Beth _likes_ it. It lets her unwind.

“What’s wrong?”

Beth stiffens at the harshness in Rio’s voice.

“Elizabeth,” he warns.

She puts down the spoon she’s washing and turns to face him, leaning back against the counter. “Nothing,” she says.

Rio scowls at her. “You think I’m buying that shit, you’ve got the worst nose for business I’ve seen in a long time.”

Beth presses her teeth together. She’s not going to reply to that.

Rio sighs and steps into her space. “Something’s wrong. I can see it here,” he reaches up to rub the spot between her eyebrows, “and here,” he drops his hand to her neck. “What’s going on? Something happen with one of the kids?”

She shakes her head. “It’s nothing, Rio.”

His eyes sharpen. “Then why won’t you tell me what it is?” he asks. Beth doesn’t say anything. “Only reason I can think of that you’d keep something from me is because you think I won’t react well. And I gotta say, the longer you drag this out, the worse I’m gonna assume it is.”

“Just a stupid comment,” Beth says, not meeting his eyes.

He doesn’t say anything right away. “What kind of stupid comment?” His voice is light in a way that Beth knows means trouble. She doesn’t answer. “Fuck, why you always acting like you gotta protect me from myself?” He scowls as he lets go of her and goes to grab one of those little lemon tarts she’d spent hours on, shoves it in his mouth and chews. Angrily.

“What, you think I’m gonna go out and beat the shit out of one of our neighbours?” Rio asks. “I ever give you a reason to think that I’ll do anything that puts you, or us, in harm’s way?” He wipes his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt and Beth realizes that, more than anything else, he’s hurt.

“Never,” she says. “But you don’t always need to know everything.”

“When it upsets you? Yeah, I kind of do,” Rio shoots back.

Beth bites the inside of her lip.

“Because that’s what you do when you’re in a relationship,” he says more softly. “I come home with blood on my knuckles, what do you do?”

Beth starts to play with the clasp of her bracelet.

“You check that they’re okay, you help me patch them up, you ask me what happened. And I tell you.” Rio crosses his arms over his chest. “When I come home pissed, what do you do? You make me talk to you.”

“I don’t make you do anything,” Beth protests.

Rio’s lips twitch upwards a fraction of an inch. “No? Last time, you said you were gonna sit on me until I told you where I’d been.”

“And if I remember correctly, you took off your pants, sat on the couch, and said, “Hop on.” So don’t even,” Beth reminds him. It makes him smile for real now. “And half the time I can’t shut you up.”

Rio comes back into her space again. “Elizabeth,” he says her name far too gently and she gives in.

“Lloyd hit on me.”

Rio’s head jerks back. “Lloyd? Like Marie’s husband Lloyd?”

Beth nods.

“What’d he do?”

“I was in the kitchen, wrapping up a few things. He came in, offered to help,” Beth says. “Complimented me, said you were a lucky guy.”

“I am,” Rio agrees when she hesitates. “Go on.”

Beth flexes her toes as she kills time for just a little bit longer. “Then I was putting some things in the sink, he came up behind me, put his hand on my back, and said that it was obvious that you weren’t giving me the attention that I need. And then suggested that he could do better.”

Rio’s face doesn’t change as she speaks, but Beth can feel his anger starting to simmer under his skin.

“I told him no, pushed him away, and went back to putting things away.”

“He hurt you?”

Beth sets her hand on his cheek. “No, honey. Just made me feel uncomfortable. He left right after. I told you, it’s nothing.”

“Fuck,” he mutters. “You okay?”

Beth nods. “I just want to forget about it. It’s honestly not worth the time or energy.”

He opens his mouth, then seems to decide against it. Instead, he sighs and lowers his face to hers. “Alright,” he says simply, then kisses her. Before long, he has her up on the counter, her panties pulled down so he can get inside of her and Beth forgets all about Lloyd.

——————————————

Beth gives Dags a look. “And you’re bringing this to me because?”

Dags sighs. “I take it to Rio, you know how he’ll react,” he replies. “Look, she fucked up, but how could she have known what to do in that situation.”

Beth crosses her arms. The way that she and Rio have settled into doing business over the years is not the haphazard partnership it once was in the beginning. They _share _things now beyond their bed - plans and responsibility and guilt. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t each have their lanes.__

__“That’s Rio’s side of things, Dags,” she reminds him gently. “I can’t interfere.”_ _

__“No,” Dags agrees, “but you can be the one to tell him.”_ _

__Which is how Beth finds herself slipping into Rio’s office after hours with takeout._ _

__“Hey,” he greets her. “When you said you were bringing dinner, I expected pizza.”_ _

__Beth sets down the bags from Rio’s favourite Persian restaurant and leans down to give him a kiss. “We can’t treat ourselves every so often?”_ _

__Rio grins, pressing their lips together again, then sits back in his chair. “Now, now, Elizabeth, I never said that.”_ _

__They chat for a few minutes as they unwrap their dinner. Yes, Rio could still make it to Jane’s showcase next week. No, they were not replacing the table in the front hall, there was nothing wrong with it, Rio._ _

__“So what’s this about?” he asks after he takes a few bites._ _

__Beth freezes and looks at him innocently. “What do you mean?”_ _

__“Elizabeth,” he says, that single word loaded with so much meaning that Beth tosses down her fork and scowls at him._ _

__“Gina dumped her shipment.”_ _

__Rio tenses right away, already running numbers in his head, probably. Figure out what it means for their clients, how much it’s going to cost him to fix it._ _

__“There were state troopers at the rest stop,” Beth starts to explain. “They gave her a weird vibe and one of them talked to her when she went in to pay.”_ _

__Rio makes a noise in the back of his throat and she stops._ _

__“Where’d she dump it?”_ _

__Beth tells him. “Dags is already on his way to get it.”_ _

__“It’ll take him two days to get there and back,” Rio says. “And she was already running late.”_ _

__“Rio,” Beth says, “she panicked.”_ _

__“And we don’t need people who panic,” he reminds her. She opens her mouth to protest, but he cuts her off. “What happens when someone like that gets picked up. She folds, Elizabeth. She probably doesn’t even make it 24 hours before she’s selling someone out to save herself.”_ _

__“She has a -“_ _

__“Don’t even,” Rio snaps. He immediately looks like he regrets it and takes a moment to settle. “Do not try to excuse her with that. She’s got a kid. Know what, sweetheart? We’ve got five between us. Dags has got two. Half the people we know have fucking kids. If she’s not cut out for this, then she’s cut out of it.”_ _

__Beth purses her lips._ _

__“Why you even bring this to me in the first place, not Dags?”_ _

__She squirms under his knowing gaze, but he refuses to let her off the hook. Beth refuses to admit that Dags had hoped she’d soften the blow enough that Rio’d be willing to keep Gina around. Rio won’t appreciate Dags trying to play him. Doesn’t appreciate it - even without her saying a word, he knows why she’s there._ _

__“And if I’d needed Dags around?”_ _

__“Do you?” Beth asks._ _

__“Not the point,” he responds._ _

__Beth doesn’t say anything. Rio just keeps looking at her for a moment, then sighs._ _

__“Come here,” he says._ _

__Beth gets out of her chair and rounds the desk until she can sit on the edge of it, Rio moving his own chair so that he’s between her knees._ _

__“Don’t do that, Elizabeth.” His voice is soft. “I gotta know you’re with me.”_ _

__“I am,” Beth says, touching his shoulders and leaning towards him. “I’m always with _you_.”_ _

__She leans forward and kisses him softly, relieved when he kisses her back._ _

__“Can we finish our dinner now?” Beth asks, running her fingers over his scruff. “Then go home, maybe take a bath.”_ _

__“Was thinking I’d hit up the gym.”_ _

__Beth sets her head against him. “I’ll come with you. There’s a pilates class tonight.”_ _

__“You don’t have to -“_ _

__“I want to,” Beth says. “I want to spend time with you. Want to go to the gym, get all sweaty, then go home with you and get even sweatier.”_ _

__He grins. “Yeah?”_ _

__She nods. “Sounds like the perfect evening to me.”_ _

__———————————————_ _

__It’s a couple of weeks later when Beth realizes that Rio had not, in fact, forgotten about Lloyd even if she had. She’s at the club, on her way to swim when she spots Rio._ _

__“Rio,” Beth steps towards him, “I didn’t know you were going to be here today.”_ _

__He’s sweaty under his windbreaker and the racket bag tells her that he’s already done._ _

__“Did you have a meeting with Gretchen?” she asks when he reaches her, bending down to kiss her hello._ _

__“Nah,” Rio replies, touching the underside of her chin with his thumb. “Me and Lloyd had a game.”_ _

__Beth’s eyes widen._ _

__“Relax,” he says. “He’s alive. Don’t think he realized I knew how to play tennis though, so he’s probably gonna be smarting from me kicking his ass.”_ _

__“Is that all?”_ _

__“He may have gotten in the way of a couple of my serves at the beginning too,” Rio admits, unrepentant._ _

__“Rio,” she hisses at him._ _

__He just smiles like he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. “I’ll see you at home later, yeah? I’ve got to meet up with our paper guy.”_ _

__Beth nods. “Be safe.”_ _

__“Always am.”_ _

__Her swim is distracted, although she gets her laps in._ _

__Once Beth heads home, she can’t focus on any of the tasks she’d planned to get done that afternoon, so after about an hour, she gives up._ _

__Putting on a swimsuit - not the practical one she’d worn to the pool, but one of the ones that was meant to be worn while on the beach - and slathering herself up with sunscreen, Beth heads outside to lie on one of their lounge chairs._ _

__The afternoon is hot, but they’re not at the peak of the summer yet, and the trees in the backyard stop the worst of the sun from hitting her, although she keeps her hat and sunglasses on anyway._ _

__She’s almost dozing when she hears a car in the driveway, then doors - the car, the house. It’s quiet again for a few minutes until the back door opens and shuts._ _

__Rio takes a seat on the lounge chair beside Beth, stretching out._ _

__It’s moments like this that feel the most intimate to Beth. He’s barefoot, in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt that Jane and Marcus had picked out for him on vacation. He’s got it unbuttoned and the sleeves are rolled up, revealing his biceps, but Beth’s not going to complain. He’s also wearing a pair of red sunglasses._ _

__Beth lifts her own to peer at them. “What happened to your sunglasses?”_ _

__“You mean the ones that Jane yanked off my face three days ago?” Rio deadpans. “Yeah, they’re all bent to shit. Haven’t had a chance to pick up a new pair.”_ _

__“You could get them fixed,” Beth says. “You don’t have to always get new things. We’re in a climate crisis.”_ _

__Instead of answering, he reaches over and starts to undo the tie on the front of her swimsuit. Not that it actually does anything, it’s mostly decorative. Beth swats his hand away, but he just yanks on the tie again._ _

__“Rio!” she hisses._ _

__“Elizabeth,” he replies._ _

__“What are you doing?”_ _

__“Trying to get you naked.” He tugs on the cup, trying to free her breast. “Thought that was obvious.”_ _

__Beth rolls away from his questing hands and sits up, yanking her swimsuit back in place. “The last thing I need is a sunburn on my boobs.”_ _

__He chuckles. “Boobs,” he repeats._ _

__She rolls her eyes. “Are you a child?”_ _

__Rio grins, shakes his head. “Oh you know how much of a man I am, sweetheart.”_ _

__Beth just shoves him away and sits up. “Very funny, Rio.”_ _

__She goes back inside and Rio follows, like a puppy demanding attention. She turns on him, takes off her sunglasses to narrow her eyes at him. “What do you want?”_ _

__“Thought that was obvious too,” Rio says._ _

__She walks to the sink and fills up a glass of water, pointedly ignoring him for the moment. “Didn’t know you were that into exhibitionism,” she notes. Which isn’t exactly true. She knows how much he’s into it._ _

__He hums._ _

__“Next thing I know, you’ll be suggesting a threesome,” Beth says with a roll of her eyes. He doesn’t say anything, so she turns around to find him nearly on her as her back hits the kitchen counter._ _

__Rio’s studying her, a slow smile spreading across his face._ _

__“What?” Beth snaps._ _

__“Nothing,” he says, trailing his fingers down to the inside of her elbow, “just picturing you kissing a pretty girl.”_ _

__Beth’s jaw drops._ _

__“You’d both be all soft, touching each other’s tits. Fuck, bet you’d take control real fast, put her where you want her.” The look in his eyes is enough to make Beth wet. “Tease me by giving her your cunt.”_ _

__“What makes you think it’d be a woman?” Beth asks. “Maybe I’d want another man.” She undoes his shorts and starts to stroke him through his underwear. “Would you do that for me?”_ _

__His eyes narrow. “Maybe.”_ _

__“I bet you wouldn’t let him fuck me though.”_ _

__“No,” he admits._ _

__“Not even if it was at the same time as you?” she squeezes the head of his cock. “What about his mouth?”_ _

__He considers, shakes his head._ _

__“Why not?” She pulls him out of his underwear, spits into her hand and goes back to stroking him. “You’d let a woman.”_ _

__“’S different,” he says, hips shifting._ _

__“You’re ridiculous,” Beth tells him, working his length. “Would you let me fuck him?”_ _

__Rio’s breathing hitches, eyes widen. He swallows. “You want that?” he asks after a moment._ _

__Beth shrugs._ _

__He thinks about it for a minute, then nods slowly. “Yeah, I’d let you. But no coming until you got me inside of you.”_ _

__She smiles, squeezes her hand tighter. “You’re so demanding,” she tells him._ _

__“And you aren’t?” he scoffs._ _

__“If it were another woman, I wouldn’t let you touch her,” Beth says after a beat. “You could watch. Maybe I’d let her touch you, but you’d keep your hands to yourself.”_ _

__Rio nods._ _

__“Actually,” Beth considers, “I like that plan. I’d let you watch us. Maybe I’d make you sit in the chair and watch as I finger her, as I let her finger me. I’d let her eat me out, but I’d keep my eyes on you. Sitting in that chair, your cock so hard you’re gonna come in your pants.”_ _

__Rio’s breathing is harsh as she keeps stroking him._ _

__“Would you want to watch me do the same? Lick her tits, her pussy?”_ _

__“Uh huh,” he pants._ _

__“Guess that possessiveness is pretty one way,” Beth notes._ _

__“Guess so,” Rio replies, leaning in to kiss her throat._ _

__Beth takes her hand away from his cock and leans back into the counter. It takes him a second to realize that she’s pulled away from him and he scowls down at her._ _

__“I don’t think that’s particularly fair,” she says._ _

__“Life ain’t fair, Elizabeth,” he says, leaning towards her only to be met by her hand on his chest holding him away. “C’mon,” he nearly whines._ _

__“Why wouldn’t you let it happen, Rio?” she asks softly, trailing her hand down until it’s on his belly._ _

__“Cuz you’re mine,” he says, forcefully. “I think if I saw another man’s hands on you, cock in you, fuck. I wouldn’t handle that well.”_ _

__Beth hums. “Well, that’s how I feel about you touching anyone else, so I’m thinking that we just keep this to the two of us.”_ _

__He nods, leans down to kiss her. It’s a soft one, affectionate, but not long. He straightens up and drags her to the bedroom. As soon as they’re there, he yanks off her swimsuit, stopping to kiss her periodically as he strips too._ _

__When Beth drops onto the bed, face down, he’s just seconds behind her, widening her legs. Without warning, he’s plunging two fingers inside of her._ _

__Rio chuckles at her noise of surprise, kissing between her shoulder blades as he withdraws them again._ _

__His finger presses against her asshole. “Can I?”_ _

__Beth nods after a slight hesitation._ _

__Instead of sinking his finger in, Rio’s weight shifts as he reaches for the bedside table where they keep the lube and condoms. He grabs both, giving Beth a hint of what he’s planning._ _

__She shivers, canting her hips upwards to rub against him._ _

__He nuzzles her shoulder as he moves so that he’s pressed against her side, trailing one hand down between her legs. He tickles his fingertips over her clit, then pulls away._ _

__Beth sinks a little further into the pillows as he opens the lube and squeezes some out onto his fingers. When he settles them back against her, they’re slick and a little cold. That makes her twitch, but Rio just teases her for a while._ _

__“When’s the last time we did this?” he asks when he finally pushes in the first finger._ _

__Beth swallows. “The long weekend?” she guesses. Their kids had all been with their respective other parents and Rio had insisted that they take a couple of days to themselves. By the end of it, every single muscle in Beth’s body had been sore. Even Rio’d been moving a little stiffly, joking that he’d thrown out his back._ _

__He hums. “Sounds right.” He starts a slow slide in and out with his finger, tugging lightly at her rim and making her squirm. “You want to touch yourself?”_ _

__Beth shakes her head. She doesn’t want to come. Yet, anyways._ _

__He starts testing the tip of a second finger. “That’s right,” he says, “you like coming when I’m inside of you. Gonna come when I’m inside this little asshole?”_ _

__Beth bites her lip, nods._ _

__“Good.” He puts his mouth on her back and starts to kiss and lick his way along her spine as he starts to work a second finger in as well. “You remember what you told me the first time we did this?” The next thrust of his fingers is faster, more pointed. Beth whimpers._ _

__She said a lot of things the first time they had anal sex. She remembers about three words. Oh, fuck, and Rio._ _

__Rio seems to know it, chuckles as he circles his fingers._ _

__“You said you felt like I was filling every inch of you,” Rio says. “Like there was nowhere else left empty.” Beth shivers. “Told me that I was the only one you’d ever let fuck you here. Only one you were ever gonna _let_ fuck you here.”_ _

__She doesn’t exactly remember that, but it’s true. She’d never let Dean do this, had never wanted to. But one night when Rio had pressed his fingertip against her ass while fucking her, she had nodded. It had been a gradual road to this. Between that first finger and him actually fucking her ass, it had been months. Beth had been surprised how much she enjoyed it._ _

__“Uh huh,” is all she bothers saying. He picks up the pace of his fingers, scissoring them a few times before retreating. He comes back with more lube and pushes two fingers back in. Beth groans._ _

__She can hear him breathing heavily behind her and when she looks over her shoulder, she sees that he’s watching himself finger her open. He catches her looking though and grins, bending down to bite her ass cheek. Beth yelps, jerking away from him, but he hooks his fingers inside and rubs her rim._ _

__The yelp turns into a moan._ _

__“Think you can take another one?” he asks, rubbing another finger against her._ _

__Beth bites her lip, considers. She definitely needs another before she even tries taking Rio and they both know it. But Rio will take as long as she needs to get her there._ _

__“Slow,” she says._ _

__“Mkay,” he hums. He pulls his fingers out and adjusts her position. She hears him moving around behind her and then he’s back, his fingers a blunt presence against her hole. “Gonna have to help me out sweetheart,” he says, massaging her hip with his other hand. “Can you relax for me?”_ _

__Beth nods. It takes effort to relax, to allow Rio to slowly work three fingers inside of her. By the first knuckle, she’s shivering._ _

__He goes a little deeper, bit by bit, occasionally pulling back out to apply more lube, until -_ _

__Beth thinks she sobs when he pushes that last inch in. She definitely groans._ _

__“Rio,” she says, reaching her hand back. He moves, curving around her back and taking her hand in his free one._ _

__He kisses her shoulder blades. “You good?”_ _

__She nods frantically. “You feel good,” she tells him. She feels him smiling into her back. “I want your cock.”_ _

__“Yeah?” He bites her in the centre of her back. “You want me in your pussy?” he asks, well aware of what her answer is. She shakes her head. “Your mouth?” She shakes her head again. “Where you want me, Elizabeth?”_ _

__“I want you where your fingers are,” she tells him, flushing._ _

__“You want me in your ass?” Rio asks, pushing his fingers into her and rocking them pointedly. “You want me to wreck your little hole?” Despite the threat, Beth knows that he’d do no such thing. She still nods. “Alright. We can do that.”_ _

__She whimpers when his fingers slip free, but she hears him opening the condom and applying lube to his cock before he comes back. She groans when he presses the head to her ass, just teasing her with it, applying pressure, but not enough for him to enter her. “Rio,” she whines. “Don’t tease.”_ _

__“Why not?” he asks, doing it again. “Thought you were mine.”_ _

__“I am!”_ _

__This time, he almost pushes in, only to pull away right as she starts to open up for him._ _

__“That means I can do what I want with you,” Rio says, sounding far too calm. “Doesn’t it?” When she doesn’t answer, he squeezes her hip. “Doesn’t it, Elizabeth?”_ _

__Biting her lip, she nods. He squeezes again. He wants her to say it. “You can do whatever you want with me,” she says._ _

__“Right. That means I can fuck you however I want. At the pace I want. But, since you insist.” This time, he pushes in quickly._ _

__Beth moans as the head sinks in._ _

__He takes his time with the rest of his length, working his cock into her until his pelvis comes into contact with her._ _

__“How’s that?” he asks, stroking his hands up and down her back before settling on her ass and pressing her even tighter around him, making Beth sob a moan into her arm._ _

__She always feels full when Rio’s inside of her, but like this, there’s an extra intensity to it. It gets even more so when he pushes two fingers inside of her cunt._ _

__Beth whimpers as he pulls out and thrusts back in, their skin slapping together. She’s going to come like this, stretched around Rio’s cock and fingers and when he presses his thumb against her clit, she knows it’s gonna be sooner rather than later._ _

__“Come on, Elizabeth. Wanna feel you squeeze me so tight,” Rio starts up a filthy monologue, telling her good she feels, how wet she is, just from him fucking her ass. She has to grab onto the sheets to hold herself in place, her toes curling. She cries out, burying her face in the bedding as she starts to come._ _

__Rio doesn’t stop thrusting into her, doesn’t stop fingering her, rubbing her. The orgasm is long and Beth keeps screaming into the mattress as he keeps up his actions._ _

__Finally, it’s done. Her legs give out and her hands loosen._ _

__Rio pulls out and she hears the snap of the condom coming off. Sighing, she turns her head so she can see Rio with one eye. He’s fisting his cock, hovering over her back. He meets her eye and grins._ _

__“Gonna get you filthy,” he promises._ _

__Beth drops her face into the pillows and wiggles her ass._ _

__“None of that,” he protests, tugging her hair. Beth groans. “Roll over.”_ _

__She does, blinking up at him. “What?”_ _

__“Wanna come on these,” he says, dropping his free hand to palm her breast. Beth wants to tease him, say he’s got a fixation, but it always makes her squirm when he pays attention to her chest like this. He tugs on her nipple, making her squeak and slap his hand away._ _

__She narrows her eyes, then shifts a little lower. She stops and pushes her breasts together, closing around the tip of Rio’s cock. He groans her name._ _

__“Thought you were gonna get me filthy,” she murmurs, lightening her voice. She watches as he takes his lower lip into his mouth and his nostrils flare, eyes fixed on the spot where he’s starting to slowly thrust between her breasts. “I’m starting to wonder if that was all talk.”_ _

__Rio laughs, but it’s a choked off sound. He’s close, the speed of his hand picking up._ _

__“Fuck,” he says a beat before he starts to come._ _

__His cum slides down the insides of her breasts, drips onto her collarbone. When he stops jerking off with a shudder and pulls out, Beth stops holding herself in position and lets go. He stares down, straddling her waist still, eyes roaming over her._ _

__His hands almost surprise her when they cup the undersides of her breasts gently, lifting them just a little as he swipes his thumbs through his cum. Beth’s hips shift against the bed as he brings his thumbs up to rub over her nipples._ _

__He pinches them harshly, making her hiss._ _

__“Wish I could keep you like this.”_ _

__Beth stares at him. “Naked and in your bed?”_ _

__He nods. “Wearing my cum like jewellery.” He grins and Beth just knows he’s about to make a reference to pearl necklaces. But instead, he just laughs. “Maybe I should stop buying you expensive presents. No more diamonds or emeralds or any of that.” He keeps rubbing and pinching her nipples as he talks. “Only thing you wear is me.”_ _

__“That’ll be awkward,” Beth says, a little breathless from the line of pleasure/pain that Rio’s got her on. “Going to events.”_ _

__The lines around his eyes and mouth are in full view as he looks down at her. “Nah. Those society bitches will be like “Oh, Elizabeth,”” and she rolls her eyes at his impersonation of their neighbours, “”you must tell me where you got that necklace.” And then you can say, “From my husband’s cock.” I know you like bein’ territorial. Reminding them that I’m yours, huh.”_ _

__And she does. So many of them give Rio appreciative looks even as they express their concern about his presence behind their hands. Beth likes to touch him in public - his arms, hands, face. He likes touching her in return - although he normally goes for her back and ass._ _

__He finally stops playing with her nipples, bending down to kiss her. “Love watching you do that,” he says when he pulls away to shift his position. “When you get possessive.”_ _

__He’s told her that before. Has proven it more than once by pulling her into supply closets and hastily booked hotel rooms, driving to secluded roads and speeding home._ _

__He’s pressing against her side now. His hand rubs over her belly. “You feel sore?” he asks._ _

__Beth evaluates. “A little.”_ _

__“Think you can get up?” he teases. “We can take a shower.”_ _

__She groans. “You might have to hold me up,” she tells him._ _

__Laughing, he pulls away. “I can do that. C’mon.”_ _

__He goes to turn on the shower, then comes back and practically drags her to the bathroom, then into the shower._ _

__The water pressure at the house is amazing and Beth sighs as soon as it starts hitting her shoulders and back._ _

__Rio kisses her jaw. “If I’m holding you up, you’re gonna need to do the washing up,” he says, moving them towards the shelf with the soaps. Beth grabs the body wash - hers - and sticks her tongue out at Rio when he makes a face. He always makes a show of not wanting to smell super floral, but he doesn’t really mind._ _

__She starts soaping up his shoulders and chest. Rio holds her close as she does it, taking over when it’s her turn. He’s gentle with her and if Beth hadn’t just come several times, she might be ready to go again._ _

__“Relax,” he says when he straightens up and circles back around to her front, “I got you.”_ _

__——————————————_ _

__When Ruby, Stan, Annie, Demon, and his boyfriend Josh show up the next night for game night, it’s…a disaster, although not quite as bad as Beth originally worried that it would be._ _

__Demon’s boyfriend, Josh, is unbelievably sweet. Beth quickly learns that Rio actually set them up._ _

__“Really?” Beth laughs when Josh mentions it._ _

__He nods, accepting a glass of wine from her. “Rio and I went to the same school, although he’s a couple of years older than me. We may have wound up in detention at the same time more than once.”_ _

__“Okay, that part I can believe,” Beth says, clinking her bourbon tumbler against Josh’s glass, then takes a sip. It’s a new bottle, something that Rio had picked up on his last trip to Canada. She thinks she likes it._ _

__“Then I came out,” Josh goes on after he takes a healthy swig from his glass as well, “and there were a couple of guys who gave me shit. Then it stopped because Rio made it stop. He’s basically a big brother at this point.”_ _

__Beth smiles at the fondness in Josh’s voice._ _

__It’s Rio that’s the problem. He keeps squeezing her ass, making her whimper._ _

__He knows what he’s doing too. Keeps grinning at her, biting his lip and looking at her through his lashes._ _

__It gets worse once the others arrive and they start actually playing._ _

__Beth can admit that they’re competitive, but despite what Annie and Ruby think, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Nothing!_ _

__Unfortunately, there’s something about Settlers of Catan that makes them worse._ _

__Rio puts down his piece with a smug grin._ _

__Beth hisses at him. He’s blocking her from getting the enclosure she was going for and the bastard knows it._ _

__“Anything you want to say, Elizabeth?” he taunts her._ _

__Beth just smiles and puts down her piece. “I hope you enjoy sleeping on the couch.”_ _

__Rio licks his bottom lip, eyes flicking up and down the length of her body._ _

__“Oh come on!” Annie cuts in. “Stop eye-fucking each other.”_ _

__“We are not -“ Beth clamps her mouth shut. “Ruby, it’s your turn.”_ _

__Rio doesn’t stop making eyes at her, tongue darting out._ _

__“Rio,” Beth hisses._ _

__He smirks at her, sucking his lower lip into his mouth, eyes hot._ _

__Fine. Two can play that game. The next time that Rio’s gearing up for his turn, Beth presses against his side, turning her face so that she’s facing away from the group. His hand comes up, purely instinctual, to hold her and make sure she doesn’t unbalance._ _

__“I can still feel you,” she whispers. “From yesterday.”_ _

__He inhales sharply, eyes flicking in her direction._ _

__“From when you bent me over and fucked my ass,” she says, hand going to his thigh and squeezing before untwisting to face the coffee table and game board again._ _

__Rio rushes through his turn and Beth moves her hand a little higher. She can feel him stiffening inside of his pants and she extends her pinky to touch his cock as she takes hers._ _

__He grabs her hand and stands, pulling her with him. He doesn’t say a thing, just makes a beeline for that stairs._ _

__Beth turns to stutter out some excuses to their guests. “Uh - we’ll, we’ll be back.”_ _

__No one says anything and Beth nearly has to run to keep up with Rio. He climbs the stairs two at a time, which he _knows_ Beth can’t. She yanks at his hand and he slows, but barely._ _

__Rio drags Beth into their bedroom, turns her around so fast that she barely gets her hands out to catch herself before she hits her face against the wall. “Fuck,” he curses, “sorry.”_ _

__Beth doesn’t really care, so long as he gets her jeans down in the next five seconds._ _

__It’s more like seven, but he gets his off at the same time, so she’ll allow it._ _

__“Come on, come on,” she begs._ _

__He presses his cock against her ass as he strokes his hand up and down the outside of her hip. “Be patient.”_ _

__Beth shakes her head. “We have a roomful of people downstairs. Just put it in.”_ _

__He laughs, but does exactly that._ _

__——————_ _

__Josh looks at Ruby. “Should we leave?” he asks quietly. Demon’s in the washroom and their hosts disappeared a few minutes ago with a very particular look in their eyes._ _

__“No,” Ruby assures him, “they’ll be back.”_ _

__“And if you skip their turn, they’ll kill you,” Annie says._ _

__Josh can’t tell if she’s kidding or not._ _

__“They are com-pet-it-ive,” Annie goes on, dipping a chip into a bowl of salsa and shoving it in her mouth. “Shit, that’s good.”_ _

__“It is!” Stan agrees. “Beth say which one of them made it?”_ _

__Annie shakes her head._ _

__“Rio did,” Josh offers. “Beth mentioned it when she was setting things up.” They all look at him. “Demon and I were early.”_ _

__The three of them nod._ _

__“Did you have some?” Annie asks, dipping another chip._ _

__“Yeah, it’s good.”_ _

__“And now you know why we put up with this,” Ruby says, pointing up to the ceiling._ _

__“Put up with what?” Demon comes back into the living room. “What happened to -“_ _

__Like they planned it, there’s a loud crash from upstairs._ _

__“Oh,” Demon says with a nod, then picks up his plate to refill. “Whose turn is it?”_ _

__“Yours,” Stan replies. “Then we’re back to Rio, so take your time.”_ _

__“They do this often?” Josh looks around at everyone. They all nod._ _

__Stan pushes the bowl of chips closer to Josh. “Have some more. If I keep eating them, I’m gonna finish the whole bowl.”_ _

__Josh takes a chip and dips it. The salsa is really good. Everything they put out is. When he had been getting ready to come tonight, Demon had tried to explain that they didn’t need to bring anything. Now that he’s actually here, he feels almost awkward about the wine he’d brought._ _

__Beth and Rio had said thank you. Rio had popped the cork and served it. Then Josh had seen the set of stairs going down and had asked about them. “Oh,” Annie had replied, “that’s where they keep the wine.”_ _

__There’s some more crashing from upstairs._ _

__Josh looks up, but no one else does._ _

__“Are they okay?”_ _

__“Yeah, they’re fine,” Annie says, reaching over to pat his arm. “They don’t normally take _too_ long. They’re just weird and being competitive gets ‘em going.”_ _

__“There was that one time,” Ruby cuts in._ _

__“Right,” Annie corrects herself. “The record is forty-five minutes, but that’s not the norm.”_ _

__Josh catches Stan crossing himself and his eyes widen._ _

__“I’d rather the long than the loud though,” Ruby comments. “That’s when we put the upstairs rule in place.” She catches Josh’s confusion. “If either of them is planning on an orgasm, they gotta go upstairs.”_ _

__“Believe me,” Annie says, “the sounds of them banging against the office door haunted my thoughts. It just rattled _so much_.”_ _

__Demon laughs. “Did I tell you about Cisco?”_ _

__“Tell us what about Cisco?” Annie’s attention turns to Demon._ _

__Demon grins. “Came out of the office the other day, looking real pale. Dumb fuck didn’t knock on the office door because he thought it was just Rio in there. Turns out she was too, just under the desk. Pretty sure the boss almost shot him for interrupting.”_ _

__The others laugh and Josh’s eyes widen even further. What the fuck?_ _

__————————————————_ _

__“Bye!” Beth says to Josh, who seems to be having trouble meeting her eye._ _

__“Thanks for the invite,” he replies. “It was fun.”_ _

__Ruby and Stan had left first, needing to relieve the babysitter, taking Annie with them. Demon and Josh had taken that as the sign to leave as well it seemed, even though Beth tried to tell them that they were welcome to stay longer._ _

__The two of them head out, leaving Beth and Rio alone again._ _

__Beth closes the door and locks it, arms the alarm system._ _

__Rio’s in the kitchen with the dishes, snacking on salsa and chips._ _

__“Did something happen with Josh?” she asks. He’s already loaded the dishwasher, so all that’s left is wiping down the table._ _

__“Huh?” Rio says after he chews his mouthful._ _

__“He was acting weird when they left,” Beth said, tossing the Lysol wipe into the garbage._ _

__Rio looks at her, loaded chip ready in one hand. He sets it down. “You serious?”_ _

__Beth furrows her brow and makes a noise._ _

__“Don’t think he’s used to going to game night and his hosts disappearing to fuck upstairs.”_ _

__Beth gasps. “Rio!”_ _

__“What?” He shrugs. “It’s true. We weren’t exactly discreet. Or quiet.” He grins as he looks her up and down. “I remember something along the lines of,” he clears his throat and when he speaks again, he’s adopted the slightly high pitched tone that means he’s imitating her, “Oh god! Don’t stop, Rio. Keep fucking me with that big cock and -“_ _

__Beth throws a chip at his head. “I didn’t say that!”_ _

__“No, you definitely did,” Rio replies. “It was right before you came. I had your leg up against the wall and I was going deep. That always makes you go wild.”_ _

__“I didn’t say that!” Beth repeats._ _

__Rio gives her a look. “Elizabeth,” he says, straightening up._ _

__“Christopher,” Beth snaps._ _

__“You get _loud_.”_ _

__“No I don’t!”_ _

__He comes around the island to touch her, but she pulls away from the hand he tries to put on her hip. “Baby, you know I like it. Fuck,” he swears, “I love it. The way you get loud for me, the way you moan for me.”_ _

__Beth pushes his hand away when he tries to touch her again._ _

__“They couldn’t hear us,” Beth insists. “That’s why we go upstairs.”_ _

__Rio lifts an eyebrow. “Yeah, that dampens it, but they still heard us.”_ _

__“Then you should have told me!” Beth tells him. “That’s embarrassing!”_ _

__He opens his mouth, closes it, groans. “Elizabeth, it’s not a big deal. We have a healthy sex life.”_ _

__“Not tonight we don’t,” she snaps, turning on her heel to head upstairs. She hears Rio sigh and follow her. “Don’t follow me. You’re not staying in the bedroom tonight.”_ _

__She’s pissed. Their friends, her _sister_ had been able to hear them having sex and Rio hadn’t thought to point that out?_ _

__“Elizabeth,” he says, climbing the stairs behind her, “don’t say shit you don’t mean.”_ _

__Beth doesn’t say anything as she storms down the hall, then slams their bedroom door closed and flips the lock._ _

__She can hear Rio sigh. “Elizabeth, even if I didn’t have the key, you think I couldn’t pick this lock?”_ _

__“Do it and they’ll be finding your body in the lake,” she snaps, stripping her dress and trading it for a robe._ _

__“Baby, I taught you better than that,” he says, sounding slightly reproving. “They better not be finding my fucking body.”_ _

__Beth scowls at the door. Of course that’s what he chooses to focus on._ _

__“Come on,” he calls out. “Sweetheart, let me in.”_ _

__“Sleep on the couch.”_ _

__“My pajamas are in there.”_ _

__Beth snorts. “Rio, you sleep naked.”_ _

__She can practically see his face. He’s probably grinning, lowering his eyelashes in that way that he does sometimes when he’s trying to convince her of something._ _

__“I own pajamas,” he reasons, “and they’re in there.”_ _

__Beth rolls her eyes. “If you want, I can throw them out on the back lawn for you to grab.”_ _

__“Elizabeth,” he groans. “Can we talk about this?”_ _

__“Talk about what?” Beth picks up a bottle of lotion and squeezes some onto the back of her hand. “Nothing to talk about.”_ _

__He’s quiet for a moment. “You really not gonna let me in, huh?”_ _

__Beth nods, then remembers he can’t actually see her, despite the almost supernatural powers she sometimes ascribes to him._ _

__“Why should I?”_ _

__“Well, for a start,” he says after a pause, “I’ll rub your feet. You been on them for hours today and I bet they’re achey.”_ _

__They are. But that’ll go away. She stays quiet, rubbing the lotion in._ _

__He sighs dramatically. “I’ll go to one of those workshops you been trying to get me to go to - pottery or whatever.”_ _

__Beth perks up. “And you’ll participate,” she says._ _

__“I’ll participate,” he agrees._ _

__Beth considers. “You’ll let me take a nice photo of you and Marcus.”_ _

__“No matching outfits,” he immediately counters._ _

__“Coordinating ones,” Beth says as she moves towards the door._ _

__“Fuck,” he mutters. “Fine. Coordinating outfits, but you’re not sending them in that Christmas newsletter thing.”_ _

__“Ok.” Beth doesn’t tell him that she’s already got plans for a family portrait. She unlocks the door. “And you have to say sorry,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest._ _

__“Oh do I?” Rio doesn’t look contrite. If anything, he looks like he’s enjoying this._ _

__“If you want to sleep in this bed tonight you do,” Beth tells him._ _

__“Darling,” he drawls, stroking her cheek, “you couldn’t keep me out of this bed even if you tried.”_ _

__He kisses her before she can tell him off for that comment. He’ll stay out of the damn bed if she tells him to._ _

__“Now I’m thinking I’ll kick you out of it to make a point,” she breaks the kiss to say._ _

__Rio nods. “Right, right. You could definitely do that. You could send me to sleep downstairs on our couch, cold and alone.”_ _

__Beth rolls her eyes. The living room is plenty warm._ _

__“Lying down there, jerking off onto your favourite throw blanket,” he goes on, tugging at the tie of her robe._ _

__“Rio!” Beth hisses. “Don’t you dare.”_ _

__He grins. “Guess you better let me stay in our bed, huh?”_ _

__Beth backs up, shrugging off the robe before hopping up onto the bed. “Maybe,” she allows. “But I don’t think I want you to touch me again.”_ _

__“Oh?” He adopts this slightly sad expression. “That’s cool,” his expression disappears and he shrugs, “you can just watch me jerk it.”_ _

__Beth scoots up the bed until she’s leaning against the headboard as Rio strips at the end of it. Tugging down her panties, she tosses them at his face. He catches them in his hand and brings them to his nose even as he undoes his pants and pushes them off._ _

__He climbs onto the bed so that he’s kneeling and lowers the hand holding her panties to take himself in hand. Beth pushes one finger inside of herself. There’s still cum from earlier. She hadn’t exactly done a thorough clean up job._ _

__Rio seems to know exactly what she’s thinking. He grins wickedly as he wraps her panties around his cock. It can’t feel great - the lace rough against his sensitive skin, but it doesn’t seem to bother him._ _

__“Show me,” he demands._ _

__Sliding down a little, Beth opens her legs wider and holds herself open to his gaze._ _

__He bites his lip._ _

__“Fuck,” he murmurs, “I made a mess inside of you, huh.”_ _

__Beth glares at him._ _

__“I can’t help it,” Rio says, stroking his cock as he watches her finger herself slowly. “You make me crazy.”_ _

__She works in a second finger easily, stretching them apart, then bringing them together to curl. She hates that they feel so…insignificant after Rio. They don’t reach as far as him. Don’t get her off like he does._ _

__He knows it too._ _

__“Those doing it for you?” he asks. “Nah, they’re not. They’re just reminding you of everything you don’t have right now.”_ _

__He shifts a little closer, but Beth moves her leg so that her big toe is pushing against his chest, keeping him away. He could easily overcome her, but that’s not part of the game._ _

__“No,” she tells him firmly. “You haven’t apologized yet.”_ _

__“I’m trying to, sweetheart,” he replies. “You just ain’t letting me.” He presses his chest into her foot so her sole is flat against him._ _

__“With your words, Christopher.”_ _

__“I wanna get my mouth on you and eat your pussy until you can’t even scream anymore. Then I want to get my cock in you and -“_ _

__“I meant apologize with your words,” Beth snaps. She lowers her foot so it’s against his belly. His breath rushes out, but he doesn’t stop jerking off. “You’re awfully calm for a man with a foot so close to his cock.”_ _

__“Oh baby,” Rio teases, “don’t make promises you won’t keep.”_ _

__Beth flushes and before she can second guess herself, she’s pressing the top of her foot against the underside of Rio’s cock and rubbing._ _

__“Shit,” Rio curses, letting go of his length and looking down to watch. It can’t be giving him the friction he needs, but it intrigues him. She can see it in his eyes as she drags her foot back towards her until only the tip of his cock is still on her foot._ _

__They hover like that for a moment, Beth just shifting her foot ever so slightly._ _

__“Let me fuck you,” he demands._ _

__Beth hums._ _

__“Let me fuck you,” he repeats, staring at her._ _

__Beth bites her lower lip. “Make me,” she says. It’s just out of her lips when Rio’s grabbing her legs and yanking her down the bed, shoving her thighs apart and driving inside of her. It’s her turn to curse as he sets a hard pace, practically bouncing her into the mattress only for it to push her back onto his cock._ _

__She shrieks, scrambling to find something to grab hold of, but it’s just the duvet and it doesn’t help her moor herself._ _

__“Oh fuck,” Beth moans._ _

__When Rio lets go and fucks her, like really fucks her, no holds barred, it makes Beth light up like a firework. There’s something about it, the feeling like he’s using her - but only because she _lets_ him - that makes her feel like they’re the only people in the world._ _

__“That what you want?” Rio asks._ _

__Beth nods. She’s close._ _

__“Good,” he tells her, “because it’s what you’re gonna get. Neither of us are gonna touch your clit. All you get is this.”_ _

__He drives himself into her with a grunt and Beth’s legs flail a little._ _

__“Yes!” she moans._ _

__He keeps going, pushing Beth closer and closer until -_ _

__“Ah!” Beth grips the duvet cover in her fists as she arches into Rio, who is following after her, spilling inside of her again._ _

__When he pulls out, Beth topples to the side with a groan as she feels him coating the insides of her thighs._ _

__Rio isn’t much better off._ _

__“You still haven’t said sorry,” Beth points out, jabbing Rio in the hip with her big toe._ _

__He groans and without uncovering his eyes, his hand darts out to grab her ankle._ _

__“Or rubbed my feet.”_ _

__He starts to lazily massage the sole of her foot._ _

__“Rio!”_ _

__He lets go of her foot and rolls onto his belly, looks up at her. “I’m sorry, Elizabeth.”_ _

__She looks at him. He looks mostly serious, so she nods. “Thank you.”_ _

__“For fucking you so good that you forgot we had guests,” he goes on, “and begged for my cock so loud that your sister’s never gonna be able to look me in the eye again.”_ _

__Shrieking, Beth lunges for him, but he catches her and rolls so she’s underneath him._ _

__“I’m sorry for giving you what you were begging for, like when you demanded that I fill you up with my cum,” he says. “Didn’t I do that?’_ _

__He had. He very much had. Beth glares up at him anyways._ _

__“Member when you said you could still feel me in your ass from earlier?”_ _

__Beth shivers. It was just a slight soreness, but it had been a reminder all day. All night. Rio had seemed to know it too, resting his hand on her ass when they were in the kitchen, squeezing it. Rubbing against it._ _

__“Remember how you been playing with that pearl necklace all night?”_ _

__Beth freezes. What? She reaches up to her neck and comes in contact with -_ _

__Oh god._ _

__She’d throw it on when she was getting ready for game night without even thinking about it. It had practically been blood in the water to Rio._ _

__“I didn’t even realize,” Beth groans._ _

__Rio pulls up. “Wait, seriously?”_ _

__She nods, feeling like such an idiot._ _

__He looks incredulous as he stares down at her. Then, slowly, a grin takes over his face. “You’re serious,” he says and starts to laugh. “Jesus fucking Christ, Elizabeth. You been teasing me all night like that by _accident_?” He collapses onto her, still laughing. “Guess I should be glad you don’t do that stuff on purpose. You might kill me.”_ _

__Beth knees him in the side, but he just grabs her leg and holds her in place._ _

__“Now shut up and go to sleep,” he grumbles. “We got shit to do in the morning.”_ _

__—————————————————_ _

__Beth smiles to herself as she walks to the car after her meeting, Bullet and one of the newer guys following her out of the building and all the way to the car, where yet another of the guys - Tony - is waiting._ _

__She opens her mouth to say hi to Tony, but Bullet cuts her off. “Boss says right in the car.”_ _

__Beth looks over her shoulder at him. “What?”_ _

__“I’m driving you home.”_ _

__She narrows her eyes at him and wants to argue, but they’re in the street, rapidly approaching the car. There’s a few rules that Rio has drilled into her. Always know the exits, even the ones that aren’t supposed to be. Never make promises you can’t keep. Don’t be a target, especially not in the street._ _

__So she opens the passenger side door and gets in. Tony and the new guy - whose name she really has to learn - get in the other car to follow hers._ _

__“Why are you driving me home?” Beth demands as soon as they’re moving._ _

__“The boss’ll tell you that,” Bullet replies evenly._ _

__If it was Demon, she’d have a better chance of pushing for an answer, but Bullet’s always been Rio’s and Rio’s alone. It’s why Rio sends him with her to meetings._ _

__“You can’t charm him into letting you get your way,” Rio had explained once. “He don’t give a shit about your feelings.”_ _

__“Take me to the -“_ _

__“He’s at the house,” Bullet cuts her off._ _

__Beth pulls out her phone and tries Rio’s cell, but there’s no answer. The house phone is the same. Demon doesn’t pick up either._ _

__She’s starting to panic._ _

__“What’s wrong?” she demands. “What happened to my fucking husband?”_ _

__Bullet shoots her a glance. “I said he’d explain it,” he says. “Means he’s just fine.”_ _

__And…he’s not entirely wrong. Beth swallows. “Is everyone else okay?”_ _

__But Bullet doesn’t answer. In fact, he stays silent all the way to the house and follows her inside._ _

__Rio’s standing in the kitchen, a cut on his lip and a bruise growing on his forehead. Beth gasps and rushes over to him._ _

__“I’m fine,” he says, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly against his chest. “It was just a car accident.”_ _

__Beth’s shaking as she clutches his shirt. “Why’d you have Bullet rush me home?”_ _

__“We weren’t sure if it was intentional,” Rio tells her. “It wasn’t. Just some stupid fucking kid.”_ _

__She sags in relief, but when she hears him hiss softly, she pulls back._ _

__“Rib,” he says._ _

__“Is it broken?” When he shakes his head, she sighs. Then her head snaps up. “Wait, how do you know it’s not broken.”_ _

__“I went and got it checked out.”_ _

__Beth pulls away from him. “What time did this happen?” she snaps her question._ _

__“I was fine. You didn’t need a distraction,” Rio says. Meaning hours ago. Before her meeting._ _

__She doesn’t even know what to say to that. Looking around, she sees a few of Rio’s boys hovering around._ _

__Beth just feels tired. She knows it’s the sudden knowledge that things are alright, that she’s crashing a bit. She just can’t be bothered to get angry with him, so she walks over to the pantry, pulls out a box of Oreos, and leaves the kitchen, going up to their bedroom._ _

__She strips in jerky movements, not paying attention to where her clothes go as she starts to run a bath in the en suite._ _

__There’s a couple of bath bombs that Annie had picked up for her from Lush, so Beth picks one that smells like lavender and tosses it into the hot water. Setting the Oreos and a towel on the chair, she gets in._ _

__She’s had four Oreos by the time that Rio comes in._ _

__“I’m not speaking to you,” she says._ _

__She hears him sigh._ _

__“Elizabeth,” he starts to say, but Beth just glares at him and takes another Oreo._ _

__He falls silent while she eats it._ _

__“What if it had been me?” Beth looks down at the purplish water. “What if I’d been in an accident and I told everyone not to tell you? And then you came home and found out that everyone else knew but you because they thought that you couldn’t handle it. Couldn’t still do your job.”_ _

__“You would have wanted to come to the hospital,” Rio says._ _

__“Then you should have let me!” Beth snaps. “That meeting wasn’t so important that it couldn’t have been rescheduled.”_ _

__“And I’m fine,” he tries to soothe her._ _

__“What if there had been -” Beth turns her head so she’s looking him in the eye. He’s crouched beside the tub and he looks tired. “What if something had been wrong and I wasn’t there?”_ _

__He gets blurry as he reaches out to her and pulls her towards him. She cries into his shoulder as the water slowly cools down, calling him all kinds of rude names and scolding him. After a while, he just starts agreeing with her and eventually, Beth stops crying._ _

__“I’m okay,” Rio tells her again, kissing her hair._ _

__She nods and gets out of the tub, not every drying off before she pulls on a robe. She does grab the cookies though._ _

__“I’m eating these in bed,” she informs him. Normally it makes him twitch when she eats in bed. The fact that it’s Oreos? He’ll probably change the sheets before they go to sleep later. But he doesn’t say anything, just takes his clothes off and gets into bed with her even though it’s 4 pm._ _

__“I haven’t forgiven you,” she says, even as she pulls him towards her._ _

__“Course not, sweetheart,” Rio says, moving until he’s on his back between her legs, arms hooked over her thighs. Beth can see the bruise on his chest too now._ _

__“We’re going to talk about this later,” she says, starting to rub his shoulders._ _

__“I know,” he murmurs._ _

__—————————————————_ _

__Beth hasn’t been able to stop thinking about what Rio had said that night, over a month ago, when he’d said it was a good thing she couldn’t tease him on purpose. She’d thought about it at the grocery store, in the pickup line at school, at drops._ _

__She had _so_ teased him on purpose!_ _

__Tons of times!_ _

__Except, maybe not._ _

__So she decided to change that, leading her to where she is now, sitting in the front seat of the car and trying to keep breathing._ _

__She has it planned out. She’ll go into the warehouse, head into Rio’s office. She’ll start off just talking, take off the coat slowly, show him what she’s got on (and what she hasn’t) underneath it. She’ll kiss him, let him look, maybe even touch, then remind him that he’s got a meeting and that she should be on her way._ _

__Swallowing, she steels herself and gets out of the car. Her heels click across the pavement and she smiles at a couple of Rio’s boys as she passes them. They nod respectfully and hold the door open for her._ _

__The warehouse is the typical organized chaos. She knows now that Rio always knows exactly who’s doing what and when, but it still looks like everyone’s running around with no idea what to do._ _

__He’s on his phone when she enters the office and it’s obvious from the line of his shoulders that it’s something that’s seriously pissing him off._ _

__“We agreed on thirty,” Rio says firmly, looking over his shoulder at her and nodding. “No, that means you get thirty. You want to try negotiating for more, you’re gonna need to prove you can handle what you’ve got.”_ _

__He hangs up with a frustrated sigh as Beth reaches him and leans in for a kiss._ _

__“We got plans, mami?” he asks, well aware that they don’t._ _

__“No,” Beth says with a shake of her head. “Just wanted to say hi.”_ _

__Rio’s eyes narrow and his head tilts as he takes her in. “Oh? You just wanted to say hi so you drove half an hour instead of picking up your phone?”_ _

__Beth rolls her eyes. “I wasn’t doing anything. Besides, you’ve been busy and I wanted to see you.”_ _

__He softens and kisses her again. “Hi,” he says before pulling away. “Shit, I got a meeting soon.” He rubs his temples. “Much as I want to spend some time with you -“_ _

__She shuts him up with a kiss before stepping back. “You don’t have much, I know,” she assures him. “I do pay attention when you tell me things.”_ _

__He smiles. “Take a seat,” he nods towards the chair on the other side of the desk as he collapses back into his._ _

__Beth shakes her head and starts to undo the buttons. “No, I’m good.”_ _

__“Oh really?” Rio teases. “You good?”_ _

__“Uh huh,” Beth replies, undoing the last button and then shrugging the jacket off her shoulders._ _

__There’s this thing that happens in cartoons - a character freezes - trapped in a motion, completely unmoving while the world goes on around them. That’s what Rio looks like._ _

__“Fuck.”_ _

__Beth lets the coat fall to the floor and gloats as Rio takes in the stockings and garter belt, the distinct lack of panties, and the very expensive bra she’s got on._ _

__“And it ain’t even my birthday,” he says, running his eyes up and down her body before settling back in his chair, legs spread. “Come here, Elizabeth.”_ _

__She shakes her head, turns around to give him the full show, delighting in the groan he makes when she wiggles her ass._ _

__“You don’t have time, remember?” Beth tells him._ _

__Rio shakes his head. “I’ll make time,” he replies. “Fuck, let me touch you.”_ _

__Beth steps towards him, but stops just out of reach. “I don’t want to make you late. You said this meeting was important.”_ _

__“I’ll be there.” He’s looking at her hungrily and Beth has to press her thighs together. He sees it and grins, convinced he’s got her. For a minute, Beth considers giving in, taking that one last step so he can grab her by the hips and pull her to him. He’d probably lift her up onto the desk and bury his face between her legs, get her off quick._ _

__But that’s not the point of this._ _

__Beth steps back. “Nope,” she says._ _

__Rio looks at her in disbelief. “No?”_ _

__“No,” she repeats, taking another step back. “You aren’t going to touch me,” she says. “You’re gonna go to your meeting thinking about touching me, but you’re not gonna do it. And - if you’re lucky, I’ll still be wearing this when you get home afterwards.”_ _

__He bites his lower lip, eyelids growing heavy._ _

__“You can wait,” she tells him, somewhere between stern and breathy. “Then when you come home, I’ll get down on my knees for you in the front hall,” his nostrils flare, “and I’ll suck you off right there. Then we’ll have dinner.”_ _

__She knows he loves it when she does domestic things, finds it fascinating to watch her cook and clean. He helps, of course, far more than Dean ever had, even makes the kids lend a hand. But he’ll watch her marking up her calendar like it’s softcore porn._ _

__“You ain’t putting clothes on,” he demands. Beth nods in concession. It’ll be awkward, sitting bare-assed at the dinner table, but it’s clearly something that Rio very much likes the idea of and well…she doesn’t hate the idea._ _

__She takes another step back, but there’s something in the way, tangling with her shoe._ _

__With a yelp, Beth windmills her arms even as she starts to go down._ _

__And fuck, it _hurts_. She cries out when she hits the cold floor, immediately rolling to the side when her ass comes in contact with it. That’s not even what hurts though. It’s her ankle, the one currently trapped in her coat, which seems to have gone in the opposite direction from the rest of her body._ _

__Rio’s already at her side, cursing under his breath. “Elizabeth,” he says, “where’s it hurt?”_ _

__“My ankle,” Beth says, tears welling up in her eyes. He shifts his focus there, unwrapping her coat and shoving it aside to look at her foot, currently encased in a stiletto. She whimpers at his touch and he tries to sooth her with a touch to her leg, but she’s lying, half-naked - mostly naked, really - on the floor of the warehouse and all of a sudden everything she’d done seems so ridiculous and she starts to cry._ _

__“Shit, is it that bad?” Rio asks. “Elizabeth, you think it’s broken?”_ _

__She shakes her head. “It’s just so - I can’t even do this right!”_ _

__Rio’s quiet. “What?”_ _

__“I can’t even -“ she says between sobs, “I can’t even seduce my husband!”_ _

__He sets down her ankle. “I’m gonna lift you up so you can sit, okay?”_ _

__She reaches out in the direction that she thinks Rio moved her coat. He seems to understand what she’s looking for and grabs it, wrapping it around her shoulders before picking her up in a bridal carry in order to get her in a chair._ _

__He kneels down, takes off her shoe and inspects her foot. “It might be sprained,” he says quietly. “There’s no way you can drive with it like this.”_ _

__Beth keeps crying, brushing away her tears as fast as they come._ _

__“Demon’ll-“_ _

__“I can drive myself home!”_ _

__“No,” Rio says, “you can’t.”_ _

__“What, now I can’t even do that right?” she’s pretty sure she’s not even making sense at this point. “Beth, the incompetent.”_ _

__“Hey,” Rio snaps, “look at me.”_ _

__She doesn’t tell him that she already is, just waits._ _

__He sighs, stroking the skin of her knee. “Member that meeting you were teasing me about? I still gotta go to that. I don’t have time to take you home and I’m serious, Elizabeth, you can’t be driving with it like this. You need to rest it. So you got two options. You stay here in my office, I’ll get someone to bring you ice and you’ll elevate it. Or Demon takes you home and you do that there.”_ _

__She sniffs, wiping at her eyes. “I want to go home,” she admits._ _

__He nods, pushing up until he’s standing up, but he immediately bends to kiss the top of her head. “I’m gonna go get him to bring the car around, then I’ll take you, okay?”_ _

__She nods._ _

__“Can you put your coat on, baby?” He strokes her cheek, talking to her like she’s a child._ _

__She nods._ _

__“Okay.” He brushes her tears away. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’ll find something for you to wear.”_ _

__“No,” Beth insists. “I’m not wearing anyone else’s clothes,” she says._ _

__“Sweetheart,” he tries, but Beth shakes her head._ _

__He sets his jaw, but seems to let it go, leaving the office to leave Beth to struggle into her coat. She’s managed to button it up by the time he comes back._ _

__He’s grabbed his own jacket from somewhere. “I’m gonna carry you.”_ _

__“I can walk!” Beth tries to say, but he adopts that stone faced look that says he’s not even listening to her suggestion. And he’d given in on the clothes, so she just wraps her arms around his neck when he picks her up in a bridal carry again._ _

__They go out one of the side ways, which is blissfully empty. Beth thinks he may have sent people away so that they wouldn’t see her, even though her jacket covers all the important parts, but she can’t be sure. Demon’s leaning against the car._ _

__“You good, boss?”_ _

__He’s talking to Beth as he says it._ _

__She nods._ _

__Rio settles her into the passenger’s side seat and then straightens up enough to set his hand on the roof of the car._ _

__“Demon’s taking you home and he’s gonna get you into the house.”_ _

__Beth opens her mouth to protest, but Rio’s jaw twitches._ _

__“Elizabeth,” he says. “I gotta go. Demon’s gonna take you into the house and he’s gonna get you settled. Then stay with you.”_ _

__“I don’t need a babysitter!”_ _

__Rio looks at her. “You sure about that?” He sighs, then bends to kiss her on the lips and then he’s gone, slamming the door behind him. By this point, Demon has joined her in the car._ _

__“He’s just worried about you,” Demon says softly._ _

__Beth glares at him, then turns to the window. She ignores him all the way home, only talking to him when he tries to lift her like Rio had. “No!” Beth smacks his hand away. “I’ll hop and lean on you.”_ _

__He must understand how serious she is, because he lets it happen. He takes her to the bedroom._ _

__“I need to get changed,” she tells him._ _

__Demon nods, helping her to the bed. “I’ll wait in the hall. Unless you want to stay here. In which case, I’ll bring an ice pack.”_ _

__Beth sits. “I want to be in the living room.”_ _

__“Okay. I’ll wait outside. No putting weight on that ankle.”_ _

__Beth pulls off the coat, then the bra and the garter belt and the panty hose, sniffing as she does. God, she can’t do anything right. Rio’s always cleaning up after her and even though he teases her about it like it doesn’t bother him, it has to._ _

__She pulls on a pair of cotton underwear, sweats, and one of Rio’s hoodies, then gets herself most of the way to the door before Demon comes back in. He’s quiet as they walk to the living room, but he practically shoves her onto the couch before pointing a finger at her and barking, “Stay.”_ _

__He comes back from the kitchen a moment later with an ice pack and a tea towel. “Elevate,” he scolds, stacking some pillows for her to prop her leg on, then wrapping her ankle._ _

__Reaching out, he grabs the remote and passes it to her before retreating back to the kitchen again. She can hear him opening and closing cabinets, banging pots and pans. When he comes back, it’s with two mugs looking almost comically small in his hands._ _

__“Do I wanna know?” Demon asks._ _

__Beth shakes her head._ _

__Demon sets down the two mugs and Beth realizes that it isn’t tea, like she thought. It’s hot chocolate. With marshmallows._ _

__“You didn’t have whipped cream,” he says, like he’s disappointed in her._ _

__“I didn’t know you were coming over,” she snaps, taking the mug closer to her. She softens after taking a sip. “Thank you.”_ _

__Demon reaches over and ruffles her hair, ignoring her noise of protest. “Whatever it was,” he says, “I’m sure it’s fine.”_ _

__“I’m just -“_ _

__He waits her out._ _

__“He’s just _Rio_ , you know? People meet him and five minutes later, they’re falling over themselves to do his bidding.” Beth sips her hot chocolate. “And I’m…me.”_ _

__Demon sips from his mug as well, then sets it down. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”_ _

__Beth looks away. Shrugs._ _

__“You think that man’s not ass over head in love with you?” Demon asks. “Because I was at your wedding and last week I had the dubious honour of walking in on the two of you making out, half naked.”_ _

__He had. When Rio pulled away from her, Demon had made a strangled noise, turned around, and left._ _

__“Can we not talk about this?” Beth taps the side of the mug._ _

__There’s a deep sigh. “Sure. But only if we watch something good.”_ _

__Beth lets him pick out a movie and they finish it shortly before Rio gets home with dinner - enough for all three of them. He watches her while they eat around the table, looping them in on his meeting. When Demon’s packing up, he gives Beth a hug from the side and ruffles her hair again, darting away before Beth can try and kick him or something._ _

__“I’ll be back,” Rio says, kissing her cheek before walking Demon out._ _

__It takes a few minutes for him to come back and Beth’s pretty sure that they were gossiping. About what, she’s not sure._ _

__“You need something for the pain?”_ _

__She looks up at Rio as he joins her in the kitchen again. “No, I’m ok.”_ _

__He cups her head and massages the base of her skull. “You sure?”_ _

__She nods. “I think I’ll just go to bed.”_ _

__“Sounds good,” Rio agrees, then scoops her up in his arms and carries her to their bedroom to dump her on the bed. “I’m gonna turn off the lights and shit.”_ _

__Scowling after him, Beth changes into a pair of oversized pajamas that the kids got her last year for her birthday and gets herself to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Rio slips in after her as she’s finishing up and brushes his teeth as she applies moisturizer._ _

__“You gonna tell me about what that was?” he asks quietly after he rinses out his mouth._ _

__Beth stiffens. “What was what?”_ _

__“Elizabeth,” he says in the voice that normally gets everyone doing exactly what he wants them to, but Beth’s pretty much immune to it. He sighs. “Let me help you to bed. You should still stay off it tonight.”_ _

__She lets him support her back to bed, but doesn’t do any of the things that she normally might if they were pressed so tightly together. She just climbs in and pulls up the covers._ _

__Rio slides in beside her, pressing himself against her side._ _

__She stares at the ceiling, hoping he’ll leave it._ _

__Rio noses her cheek and sighs. “Elizabeth,” he says, “what the fuck made you think you can’t seduce me?”_ _

__Beth chews on her lower lip until he pulls it free._ _

__“Baby, is something wrong? If you wanna switch things up, all you gotta do is tell me,” Rio says, combing his fingers through her hair._ _

__“You said -“ she sniffs. “You said it was a good thing that I can’t tease you on purpose.”_ _

__Rio stares at her. “What?”_ _

__“That night, when we hosted -“ he nods. “You said it was a good thing that I can’t tease you on purpose because of the necklace.”_ _

__“Sweetheart,” Rio stops her from going on, “I said it was a good thing because you doing it on purpose would kill me.”_ _

__“Because I can’t seduce you.”_ _

__“Because you do that just by being you,” Rio says. “Fuck, Elizabeth, I’d been getting hard watching you run your fingers over your necklace. And you think you can’t -“_ _

__He drops onto his back beside her._ _

__“That was me saying you don’t need to do this kind of stuff for me,” he explains. She turns her head towards him. He’s staring up at the ceiling. “I saw you making a grocery list a couple days ago and had to finger you in the kitchen, I wanted you so bad. You been thinking about this ever since that night?”_ _

__He turns his head so they’re looking at each other._ _

__“Maybe,” Beth admits._ _

__He groans. “Sweetheart, what’d we say about this?”_ _

__Beth shifts. “That I would talk to you if I was feeling…insecure.”_ _

__Rio rolls onto his side. “Know how much I love you? How much I want you?”_ _

__“How much?”_ _

__Rio smiles. “Even now, when you’re in your big ass flannel pjs that the kids got you with these weird ass -“ he looks at the fabric and Beth giggles._ _

__“They’re owls, Rio.”_ _

__He makes a face. “Sure, maybe if you’d never seen an owl,” he mutters. “Even when you’re wearing those, all red-eyed, and with snot bubbles on your -“_ _

__“I do not have snot bubbles on my nose!” Beth pushes at his chest, even as she wipes her nose with the back of her hand._ _

__Laughing, Rio traps her hands and shifts on top of her. “Sure,” he agrees. “But even then, I still wanna kiss you. Because you’re the most beautiful woman in the world. Sometimes, I see you and I don’t even understand how you can exist. You’re so perfect.”_ _

__Beth stares up at him. Sniffs. “Really?”_ _

__He nods. “Really. And you can’t say that you didn’t know because I tell you that shit all the time.”_ _

__He kisses her slowly, but it quickly heats up, his hands sliding up her shirt._ _

__“You didn’t throw any of that stuff out, did you?” he asks. “Because it was fucking hot seeing you all dressed up for me.”_ _

__Beth giggles as he rubs his scruff against her neck. “No, I still have it.”_ _

__“Good,” Rio says. “One day, bring it out again and we’ll do everything we talked about, yeah?”_ _

__She scratches the back of his head. “Alright.”_ _

__“But for now,” he kisses her, “how ‘bout I make love to my wife?”_ _

__Beth tilts her head to the side to meet his next kiss. “Sounds good.”_ _

**Author's Note:**

> A million thank yous to neveroffanon and medievalraven for beta-ing this. I hope you enjoy it! If there's other content that should be warned for or if you think that the warnings need to be more clear, please let me know.
> 
> Written mostly before we knew about the name Mick and I was too lazy to change the name. Also written before we knew that Rio's tattoo is apparently of an owl, so I may have brought that into the universe, for which I apologize.


End file.
